Arsène Wenger pitches in with criticism of new Wembley

Arsène Wenger has expressed doubts about the state of the Wembley pitch. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins

Arsène Wenger has expressed doubts about the state of the Wembley pitch. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins

Published on Fri 17 Apr 2009 10.48 EDT

Arsène Wenger hopes to be impressed by new Wembley at tomorrow's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, but the Arsenal manager fears that the state of the national stadium's pitch could spoil the occasion.

Arsenal have not played at Wembley since it re-opened two years ago following a £750m redevelopment. Wenger said he had not been impressed by the ground when he visited it as a spectator and that the old stadium, which hosted some of Arsenal's Champions League games, still held a special place in his heart.

"I loved the old Wembley, and I was not too impressed by the new Wembley," said the Arsenal manager. "I was only there was as a spectator, at the first FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United [in 2007]. Maybe I will have a completely different impression this time. I was only a spectator – I was not behind the scenes in the stadium or on the pitch.

"Historically as a boy, we always played on bad grounds, so the dream of everybody was to play on the marvellous grass and pitch of Wembley. When I heard they had problems with the pitch, that was a big disappointment because you always felt you wanted to play at Wembley as there was something special on the pitch there.

"If that is not there any more, then it is a little bit disappointing. I expect a good pitch, but the noises I get are not as convincing as the former pitch. The former pitch was really something special."

Much has been made of the decision to play both semi-finals at Wembley, with Manchester United set to face Everton on Sunday afternoon, rather than at neutral club grounds. Wenger said he understood the reasoning behind the Football Association's scheduling.

He said: "Playing the semi-final at Wembley maybe takes away something a little bit from the final day, but I understand after building a new stadium they have to make some money with that, especially in the current recession."